Life, 1917-03-29 · page 15 of 42
Life — March 29, 1917 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes wealthy theater-goers who disrupt performances by leaving mid-show. The top cartoon depicts an usher managing an audience member departing during intermission—the caption mocks "the pest who buys a seat in the centre of the row and persists in going out after every act," addressing a common annoyance of the era. The lower section, titled "Historic Spots, Ancient and Modern," humorously compares Civil War battlefields with WWI-era automotive landmarks. It lists eight locations where various U.S. generals allegedly left cars during wartime service. The small cartoon "The Way of the Transgressor" depicts someone in a boat, though its connection to the numbered anecdotes is unclear from the visible text.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PREPARED FOK THE PEST WHO BUYS A SEAT IN THE CENTRE OF THE ROW AND PERSISTS IN GOING OUT AFTEK EVERY ACT Historic Spots, Ancient and Modern HE eastern states are dotted with venerable elms to which Generals Washington and Lafayette are popular- ly supposed to have hitched their horses on various ocea- sions during the American Revolution. If this country s forced to repel another invasion of its shores, these ancient landmarks will be overshadowed by newer and more up-to-date spots of historic interest, to wit: 1. The garage in which the great General Smith left his automobile to be washed just after the important battle of Milwaukee. 2. The glove-cleaning establishment where General Jones hought a quart of gasoline for $1.36, and by its aid was thle to reach the Battle of Bethlehem in time to repulse the invaders 3. The spot where General Brown climbed out of his gallant six-cylinder roadster on his way to the Battle of New Haven and removed a nail from a front tire with his teeth, 4. The service station at which General White had a tire changed in eighteen seconds while escaping from the motorcycle brigade of General Von Swizzle. 5. The place where General Black's limousine got stuck in the mud while he was leading the Third Army Corps into action, and where he was pulled out by a Ford just in time to rush reinforcements to Gencral Green. 6. The bump in the road where one of the rear tires on General Gray's machine blew out with a loud report, caus- ing the enemy to fall back under the impression that they were being enfiladed by heavy artillery 7. The porte-cochére under which General Robinson parked his trusty automobile during the Battle of Bridge- port. 8. The twelve thousand private garages in which Generals Smith, Jones, Brown, White, Black, Green, Gray and Rob- inson left their machines at various times during the war. K. L. Roberts. “THE WAY OF THE TRANSGRESSOR”